GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 97, No. 22, © 2015
FRIDAY, NOVEMber 20, 2015
A NOTE IN TIME
A quest to kill a centipede leads to the discovery of a time capsule engraved in a Darnall desk.
EDITORIAL Renaming the halls only serves to plaster over deeper issues of race.
GOING RAMBO Security studies professor takes social media flak for drone support.
OPINION, A2
NEWS, A8
GUIDE, B1
MPD Program Scores Low ALY PACHTER Hoya Staff Writer
A policy scorecard released earlier this month outlined potential concerns with the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department’s body-worn camera program, including disagreements about officer access to the footage. In September, the Department of Justice awarded $1 million to support the expansion of the city’s body camera program, which is set to equip 2,800 police officers who regularly interact with the public with cameras. The grant builds on President Barack Obama’s proposal to provide 50,000 more body cameras for law enforcement agencies nationwide in the next three years.
“The concern here is that if officers are allowed to view the footage before writing a statement, the officer’s statement will always appear more accurate and more credible than other witness statements.” harlan yu Principal, Harlan
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also sent a proposal to the D.C. Council for review that would limit the public’s ability to view the footage from police body-worn cameras. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a lobbying coalition of more than 200 national organizations, and Upturn, a D.C.-based technology and policy consulting firm, studied 49 cities for the scorecard. Criteria included officer discretion, personal privacy, officer review, biometric use See MPD, A6
Sanders Campaign Comes to Gaston
Senator outlines foreign policy, democratic socialism in first candidate address at GU TOBY HUNG
Hoya Staff Writer
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivered this election season’s first candidate address in Gaston Hall yesterday, where he defined democratic socialism as economic security for the middle class and called for collaborative efforts to destroy the Islamic State group. The speech marked a defining moment in Sanders’ campaign, as the self-proclaimed democratic socialist directly outlined his foreign policy strategy in response to last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, allegedly orchestrated by the Islamic State group. Sanders called on students to take part in his grassroots movement to restructure the country’s economic system and alleviate income inequality. “We need to develop a political movement, which is prepared to take on and defeat a ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation,” Sanders said. The Georgetown Institute for Politics and Public Service organized Sanders’ visit. The group sent invitations to all presidential candidates during the summer. According to IPPS Director Mo Elleithee (SFS ’94), Sanders is the first to accept the invitation. With Gaston Hall filled to maximum capacity, Sanders walked onstage to a standing ovation and a “Feel the Bern” chant. Georgetown is prohibited from endorsing public office candidates due to its status as a tax-exempt organization, and attendees were not allowed to bring campaign signage into the hall. Sanders began by acknowledging the need for change in the country’s political processes. “We have an economic and political crisis in this country, and the same old politics and economics will not effectively address those crises,” Sanders said. Sanders argued that democrat-
ROBERT CORTES/THE HOYA
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a Democratic presidential candidate, addressed a Gaston Hall audience that could not accommodate all who started lining up before 6 a.m. Thursday. ic socialism will bring about positive change to the working class. “Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system which is corrupt, that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy,” Sanders said.
Throughout his speech, Sanders cited direct quotations from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope Francis to highlight the importance of socialist ideas throughout history. “Real freedom must include economic security. That was
Athletes, Advocates Pen Anti-Nike Letter Ashwin puri & patricja okuniewska Hoya Staff Writers
Athletes and Advocates for Worker’s Rights, a working group composed of athletes from multiple sports teams and student advocates, delivered a letter to University President John J. DeGioia’s office outlining its opposition to Nike’s unethi-
cal business practices and urging the university to cut ties with the company yesterday morning. The group, which formed last week following a discussion on campus with sweatshop activist Jim Keady, argues that the athletics department should suspend its partnership with Nike. Twenty studentsathletes and advocates signed the letter on behalf of the university’s student-athletes.
“Today we come to you with tape over the Nike logos of our Georgetown athletic apparel and Georgetown bookstore apparel because we refuse to be associated with a brand that is in direct opposition to Georgetown’s core values,” the letter reads. AAWR stirred controversy last week after Keady posted a photo on Facebook that showed the Nike logo covered with tape on the university-
COURTESY JAKE MAXMIN
A student activist tapes over the Nike logo on a shoe to protest unethical business practices. A letter sent to University President John J. DeGioia asked the university to sever ties with the athletic apparel company. Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947
Published Tuesdays and Fridays
provided shoes of three studentathletes. The group cited the poor working and living conditions at Nike’s factories in Asia as its primary concern. After the event last week, several athletes teamed up with student advocates on campus, including Wearable Justice CEO and founder Jake Maxmin (COL ’17). The athletes requested anonymity, citing potential pushback from the athletics department. In the letter, AAWR also highlighted the recent decision by Nike to refuse the Worker Rights Consortium — an international labor rights monitoring organization — access to its factories in Southeast Asia. According to the Office of Public Affairs website, Georgetown is a founding affiliate of the consortium, which serves to enforce manufacturing codes of conduct adopted by all affiliate colleges. As stated by the AAWR, Nike’s refusal directly puts Georgetown in violation of its WRC commitment. “Being a current affiliate of the WRC means we require all brands that produce Georgetown apparel to disclose where their factories are and the conditions under which workers are producing apparel,” the letter reads. “Nike should not be an exception.” According to Office of the President Chief of Staff Joe Ferrera, DeGioia has received the letter. Business Policy and Planning Director Cal Watson said that student concerns will be heard and considered by university officials. “Students at Georgetown have a
Roosevelt’s vision 70 years ago. It is my vision today. It is a vision that we have not yet achieved and it is time that we did,” Sanders said. Sanders also noted that many
See SANDERS, A6
FEATURED
GUIDE Rock Out With Your Bloc Out
The premiere of “Free to Rock” brought luminaries and experts on Soviet rock to Gaston Hall. B3
NEWS Onion Tears
In a conversation, satirical site co-founder Scott Dikkers discussed humor and writing. A5
SPORTS Strong Start
After a win over Virginia Tech, Georgetown women’s basketball is now 2-0. B10
See NIKE, A6 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com
OPINION
THE HOYA
C
A2
Founded January 14, 1920
C Reflect, Rename, Reform C C EDITORIALS
In the wake of successful student protests at the University of Missouri, similar calls to action against institutional racism in higher education have spread like wildfire at campuses across the country. While some student protests have attracted negative press and invited contentious discussion on issues of race and free speech, what recently unfolded on Georgetown’s campus was virtually uncontroversial and amicable. Though the successful renaming of Mulledy and McSherry Halls indicates the strength of this emerging national student movement, there is still a long road ahead. In the months that follow, students should ensure the momentum from the #GU272 campaign does not lose its focus on addressing structural racism at Georgetown. They must also be sure the campaign does not descend down a path where radical actions and reductionist views pressure reform without fostering a contemplative dialogue that sources the perspectives of all student groups on campus. The recent name change of Mulledy and McSherry Halls acknowledges a past that clearly runs counter to Georgetown’s Jesuit identity, but students and staff should refrain from a wholly reductionist view of the issue. Without doubt, Mulledy and McSherry perpetrated grave crimes against humanity — crimes whose abhorrence was not lost on either president, as documentation plainly reveals; to reduce these men to a single action is an irresponsible departure from Georgetown’s intellectual tradition. Although the changes proposed this semester have done much in raising awareness about Georgetown’s history of slavery, we must recognize that this has also reduced Mulledy’s name to a single event: the brutal sale of 272 slaves. While this should not be forgotten, we must also pay attention to the historical context in which Mulledy made his decision, along with the extreme guilt and ostracism the man faced after making this decision. A nuanced examination, that neither excuses nor vilifies the more shameful events of our past obtains a stronger reflection on history and avoids the problem of erasure. Mulledy knew that the university was in dire financial straits and Georgetown’s substantial landholdings were losing money. As the president of the university, he had the primary fiduciary responsibility of ensuring that the school remained solvent. The decision to sell slaves was part of a
broader divestiture of property, so that the school could generate some cash to pay its expenses. He recognized that history would vilify him for the decision to sell slaves, although that apparently did not motivate him enough to arrange the sale so that families would not be separated. The nonchalance with which Mulledy parcelled slaves along with land in a transaction demonstrates how deeply ingrained the institution of slavery was in 19th century America, even among educated elites. As the initial wave of research leading up to the establishment of the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation suggests, the conversation on Georgetown’s Civil War-era legacy is far from over. The resolution announced Saturday should not be accepted as an adequate conclusion to the discussion. Rather than stopping after the easy choice to change the building names, the Georgetown community must shift its focus to the more deeply ingrained, structural challenges that have created a racist climate for people of color. As the Working Group and the #GU272 campaign organizers have both recognized, the work does not end with the interim monikers of “Freedom” and “Remembrance.” It continues with the proposals outlined by Georgetown’s Black Leadership Forum, such as devoting funds to hiring more black faculty, attracting more students of color, incorporating information about Georgetown’s slave history into campus tours and memorializing the unmarked graves of African slaves on campus. Although these will prove far more difficult to implement, Georgetown’s racial justice movement must continue to push for them. Instead of unilaterally pushing through rapid resolutions solely by engaging in protest, these dialogues require long-term, sustainable and inclusive programs. When pursuing future reforms, student-working groups ought to offer open forum dialogues so that everyone’s opinion can be heard. Alhough it has rightly been pointed out that excessive, stagnated discussion cannot be a substitute for change and that it is not the responsibility of students of color to educate other students, it is important to recognize that a plethora of diverse groups find their home on campus and should therefore have equal access and input. To build an inclusive movement and a better Georgetown, it is imperative we listen to and consider the perspective of all students.
Friday, november 20, 2015
THE VERDICT Panda Viewing Time Reduced — In January, the National Zoo will begin operating for three hours fewer each day. He Is the Champion — Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of the critically acclaimed book “Between the World and Me,” won the National Book Award this week. Coffee Is the Key — A recent Harvard study found that coffee consumption has been linked to preventing liver cancer, soothing pain related to computer work and easing the symptoms of depression. Drink up! Hello, It’s Me — Adele’s long-awaited third, lazily titled album, “25,” is set to hit the digital stands today! Cue a long, gratifying weekend of tears.
EDITORIAL CARTOON by Michelle Xu
Tap Student Talent Work-study is an essential part of many Georgetown students’ experiences. Students can work at a variety of offices on campus, like the Office of Residential Life or the Office of Facilities, but university clubs and departments should expand their job offerings to students on financial aid. If certain organizations, like Students of Georgetown, Inc. and D.C. Reads, can afford it, they should expand their employment of financial-aid-dependent student workers. On the other end of the spectrum, the university’s administrative offices should consider expanding their work-study offerings. Large student groups are highly visible and accessible for students, offering hundreds of sometimes-paid positions. If The Corp formally allocated a larger percentage of positions solely for financial-aid-eligible applicants, the organization could better fulfill its mission statement of “students serving students” while helping working students integrate into student life. Many traditional work-study positions available to students on financial aid do not offer the dual benefit of a job and involvement in a student group, so the organizations that do field this unique capability should take advantage of their standing. Consider student-organization-based scholarships. If organizations increased the number of work-study positions, the money saved by having the federal government fund the majority of these students’ salaries could be invested in more scholarship programs and grant funds. In turn, these efforts would make it possible for students to participate in a variety of enriching activities that range from studying and researching abroad to completing philanthropic projects. Considering Georgetown’s commitment to fostering diversity within all facets of student life, an expansion of work-study positions for students on financial aid would be a bold way to reach out to students, many of whom may come from low-income backgrounds.
Katherine Richardson, Executive Editor Daniel Smith, Managing Editor Molly Simio, Online Editor Toby Hung, Campus News Editor Kristen Fedor, City News Editor Tyler Park, Sports Editor Jinwoo Chong, Guide Editor Daniel Almeida, Opinion Editor Isabel Binamira, Photography Editor Shannon Hou, Layout Editor Becca Saltzman, Copy Chief Courtney Klein, Blog Editor Laixin Li, Multimedia Editor
Editorial Board
Daniel Almeida, Chair Gabi Hasson, Irene Koo, Charlie Lowe, Sam Pence, Parth Shah
Both administrative departments and students would benefit from opening more positions typically marked as work-study preferred or required to all students. The university, on one hand, would make use of students’ talents and intelligence. The communications office, for example, could better develop its Georgetown Stories program with input from a more diverse array of student consultants. The communications department could create positions for students to draft the university’s social media messaging for the panoply of events happening on campus. More student positions within the communications and marketing departments could serve the university well in developing a stronger brand for the school, one that is grounded in reality and truly representative of a wide variety of students who love and embrace the Georgetown identity. And in other departments, administrators would benefit from the same injection of student vision and fresh ideas for events, outreach programs and outside partnerships. For students, on the other hand, these efforts to incorporate student voices and perspectives within Georgetown’s administration would help them feel like they have a greater stake in how the university is run. Students have been, for years, clamoring to be a part of the process of running the school, and through substantive, rather than just simply menial, work-study jobs, student engagement should rise dramatically as well. There is also the clear financial benefit of a wider availability of on-campus work-study positions considering the amount the federal government takes over in financing such job opportunities. The advantages of an expansion of need-sensitive work-study positions are clear. By tapping further into the student labor pool for work-study jobs, the administration and student-run organizations can seek to bring new perspectives into their offices and coffee shops.
This week
[ CHATTER ]
Be sure to check Chatter, The Hoya’s online opinion section, throughout the week for additional opinion pieces. Robert Danco (SFS ’18) discusses the intricacies of the minimum wage and the possibilities for reform: Today, the minimum wage is a contentious political topic; proposals range from abolishing to doubling it. The wage diverges across the varying levels of government, including local, state, and federal offices. On the federal level, nontipped employees must be paid at least $7.25 an hour, while tipped employees are paid $2.13 plus tips. An exception exists for persons under the age of 20, when employers can pay $4.25 an hour for the first 90 days of employment at their discretion.”
“
Find this and more at
thehoya.com/chatter
Mallika Sen, Editor-in-Chief
Brian Carden, General Manager
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OPINION
Friday, november 20, 2015
THE HOYA
A3
VIEWPOINT • Fleming-Klink
Missing class
Love Fosters Lasting Peace Laura Owsiany
Separate Self From Privilege N
o one likes to be singled out for his privilege. But class privilege always seems the hardest to confront. This is probably because all of us have struggled with money as individuals or as a part of a family at some point in our lives, either in our decisions, our ability to stay afloat or our anxiety to save. Everyone feels middle-class. In America, the notion of the middle class is sacred, but also more widely adopted than is statistically reasonable. A 2015 Gallup poll had 51 percent of Americans identifying themselves as middle class, while a September 2015 survey from Brookings measured 85 percent of respondents identifying as middle class. Despite these conflicting numbers, there is a clear consensus in the research: More Americans think they are middle class than those who actually fall into the middle quintile of income in the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. CNN Money, in an attempt to find out, “What is middle class, anyway?” identified five areas people can consider when they identify as middle class: income, wealth, consumption, aspirations and demographics. Our indicators of class are, in fact, as much social as they are economic. They are based on what we look like, what we wear, what we buy, how much we save and what our lifestyles look like just as much as they are based on income level. In The Atlantic’s 2013 article, “Why Americans All Believe They’re Middle Class,” author Anat Shenker-Osorio cites media representation as a reason for the overwhelming identification with the middle class: “Not finding popular depictions of wealth and poverty similar to our own lived experiences, we determine we must be whatever’s left over.” This rings true to my media experience. I often become frustrated by media depictions of “average” families in multi-million dollar California homes or the lack of good, working-class TV for the 21st century (though I do still love the ’90s sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle”). Movies feature well-educated urbanites living in huge apartments, maybe occasionally referencing bills to retain that “down-to-earth image,” but conflicts never center on socioeconomic status. The excessive wealth we see portrayed on reality TV, such as the Kardashian family’s, adds to the sense of class isolation. Even the 1 percent is not monolithic, and when people see extravagant displays of wealth in the media, they can view themselves as closer to the middle class than they actually are. On the other hand, popular signifiers of low income level and poverty can be just as isolating. Homelessness and the poverty line as indicators of the lower class make people in the lower quintiles of American income turn away from identifying as such. The notion that financial struggles are just temporary roadblocks of hardworking middle-class families runs rampant in post-recession America. Anyone who doubts this can take a look at CBS’s muchcritiqued summer reality show “The Briefcase.” Its egregious premise pits supposedly middleclass families, whose massive debt and dire financial situations indicate they are anything but, against one another for $100,000. Everyone says he is the exception. Everyone says he is part of that invisible, illusive middle class. No one wants to say he is rich and no one wants to say he is poor. The effects of this phenomenon, in many of its forms, can be found at Georgetown University. No matter how many people are aware of “The Great Gatsby’s” thematic argument, the notion of the American Dream is still very much alive on campus. I have heard many people attribute their socioeconomic status to their parents’ or grandparents’ hard work or frugality. Vacations, cars, unpaid internships and lack of loans are all justified by prudence or as long-deserved rewards for hard work. Georgetown students are aware of class but are often defensive about it. Because we attach such social and ethical values to class in the United States, to imply association with either the rich or the poor is to condemn oneself to unflattering stereotyping. The difference is that while stereotyping the rich may hurt feelings, stereotyping the poor causes those with the least social clout to further lose legitimacy. No condemnation of Kim Kardashian’s materialism or criticism of Hillary Clinton’s old-money lifestyle has stopped them from dominating our cultural and political narratives. As long as people on either end of the socioeconomic spectrum can play the part of the middle-class person — act sufficiently down-to-earth, but not unrefined; be scrappy, but not dirty; not spend too much, but not scrimp either; have a nice house, but not too nice — they are accepted as such, and we as a community can ignore the problem of socioeconomic stratification that is actually occurring. The same is true of our Georgetown community. We must prioritize the issue of class, no matter how difficult it can be to discuss. Class may be the hardest privilege to come to terms with. But to recognize class struggle, we must understand that how we see ourselves and other hardships we’ve faced don’t necessarily have bearing on our class. Then we can start on the road to rectifying it.
Laura Owsiany is a senior in the College. Missing Class appears every other Friday.
M
onday nights for me, since the latter days of August, have meant calls home to my mother, sister and father. I usually ask for a recap of the important things I am missing back in Richmond — only the big ones though, because my mom can really talk — and they ask about school, clubs and social life. We always spend time talking about events happening around the world, in the United States or on Georgetown’s campus. Following the horrific attacks in Beirut and Paris last week, this Monday’s phone call was especially difficult. Like the rest of the world, my parents and I couldn’t even begin to understand or wrap our heads around the immensely inhumane acts carried out around the world. We spoke of one of my mother’s best friends who was blocks away from one of the restaurant attacks in downtown Paris. We spoke of a student at the French partner school to my high school who lost both of his parents and godparents in the night-turned-nightmare. My mother’s tears flowed while my father’s words couldn’t. Yet as is human nature, we spoke of the future. We spoke of what can and should be done in response to these attacks. And we spoke of the Islamic State group and how U.S. policy needs change moving forward. And quite frankly, this discussion of changes and of the future sent me further into the depths of sadness. Unarguably, the response of the French people to the attacks was a testament to the resilience of humans in the face of grave danger and tragedy. Yet even after seeing and reading about this incredibly uplifting and heroic response, I felt deeply discouraged and confused as to the most appropriate and effective steps for the United States to take against the Islamic State
Resolving this conflict will not happen quickly. The situation’s complexity will prevent a one-size-fits-all policy. group. Clearly, something must be done. Despite President Obama’s claim that the Islamic State has been “contained,” its terror has extended beyond Iraq and Syria, as evidenced by the previous Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, as well as attacks in Cairo, Turkey and Egypt. As the leader of the Western world and as the world’s largest economic and military power, our counterterrorism policy — when effective — has consequences both in combatting terrorism and in building international support — often in the form of multi-country coalitions. Thus, U.S. inaction would give the Islamic State group respite from coalition airstrikes and thus strengthen the group internally and regionally. Yet, on the other end of the spectrum, a full throttle, boots-on-the-ground military policy in a region without reliable leadership or a strong governmental framework would simply create further political and militaristic instability — the conditions which, many argue, fostered the
emergence of the Islamic State group originally. To be clear, the predicament of action versus inaction has existed for some time. Yet in the wake of the Paris attacks and increased international recruiting by the Islamic State group, it is clear that the group’s influence is seeping into Western nations. This raises the stakes dramatically for the United States. Not only does foreign policy with regards to the Islamic State group have direct effects on the safety, security and stability of citizens in the Middle East, it directly impacts the safety of citizens in our own country. That is not to say American or French lives hold more weight than Syrian or Iraqi lives, but from a purely U.S.-centered military perspective, it changes the game. And on top of all of this, people are scared. Half our nation’s governors say Syrian refugees are not welcome in their states; Georgetown itself had to ramp up security following threats of an attack on D.C.
VIEWPOINT • Sen
And thus, I write this piece incredibly unsure as to the correct action the United States should take in response to these attacks. To be candid, it makes my head hurt and my heart fill with grief for all those who have lost and all those who will continue to lose their lives as a result of this brutish, despicable group. What I do know is this: Resolving of this conflict will not happen quickly. The absurd complexity of the situation simply will not allow for a onesize-fits-all policy to fundamentally weaken radical terrorism in Syria, Iraq, Beirut, Paris or any other part of the world. It is our duty — as a nation built on principles of freedom, liberty and religious tolerance — to accept the harsh reality. In the meantime, we must seek to understand the religious, socioeconomic, societal and other types of root causes and motivations of groups such as the Islamic State group; we must not accept these acts of terrorism, whilst tolerating those of all faiths and cultural upbringings; we must come together as individuals, institutions and organizations and engage in challenging dialogue about how to better secure ourselves while maintaining individual freedoms; and most importantly, we must respect and accept and value and love all people — victims, their families and all others — all over this great Earth. Ultimately, no matter how weak or strong, liberal or conservative our government’s response is to Al Qaeda, or Hezbollah, or the Islamic State group or to whatever terrorist group emerges next, the only peace that will endure will be rooted in love.
Isaiah Fleming-Klink is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service.
HOYA HISTORIAN
At the Crossroads, Healy’s Inner Turmoil, Encountering Illusion Our Current Conflict
G
eorgetown was my dream school. I first stepped onto this campus six years and one week ago, amid a sudden thunderstorm. Our group of Los Angeles high school newspaper nerds, in town for a conference, immediately surrendered to the dictates of the downpour, and fled to the Leavey Center. There, I held The Hoya in my hands for the first time, and after a cursory glance and appreciative nod for its Helvetica Neue captions, cast it aside, underwhelmed. Fast-forward the better part of a decade, and The Hoya has overwhelmed seemingly every aspect of my life. Georgetown accepted me the first time around; The Hoya rejected me the first time around; perhaps stemming from some motivation to prove myself, my life has revolved around this paper for the past three years. And in that time, I have grappled with disillusionment — with the university, with The Hoya and with myself. Every facet of Georgetown is imbued with eminence — the possibility of a veneer or blemishes never registered to me, as a starry-eyed incoming student. Over three years of reporting and editing, it becomes hard to picture Georgetown as anything but a collection of crumbling, scaffolded edifices; there are many cracks in the facade. The nature of hard news is that much of the content is inspired by, quite simply, bad things. Opeds (like this one) and editorials are perceived as stronger and more worthwhile if they discuss the bad. As evidenced by everything from off-the-record conversations to screaming A1 headlines to brave viewpoints that ignite firestorms, Georgetown has problems. The Hoya, then, is here to cover them in a responsible, ethical fashion. As students who take ourselves quite seriously, this leads to a severe imbalance between academic and professional priorities. And, as students who take ourselves quite seriously, we are often met with derision or disregard by members of the community, sometimes merited in the face of unfortunate typos or thoughtless headlines. We purport to serve the community by delving into news, events and policy and providing a platform for voices, among other goals. If it seems like our audience does not take us seriously, it is time to question from where we derive
our purpose. And there’s me. I read the farewell viewpoints of the last few editors-in-chief — a popular thematic element revolved around the paper’s future and the role of journalism in a larger sphere. By contrast, this viewpoint has employed far too many uses of first-person by this point already. I came to Georgetown intent on joining the Foreign Service and retiring a well-respected, gracefully aged policymaker. Instead, I’m retiring from this job (term limits) having focused all my creative energy on The Hoya, commanding an uncertain amount of respect and featuring a permanent, ever-deepening frown line etched upon my forehead. A couple weeks ago, amid a weekslong bout of utter sleeplessness, I could not answer if I would do it all again. Then, it bears considering for what Georgetown stands. The instruction and encouragement to reflect permeates all activities at this school, but it has been something I have always been reluctant to face. We each stand at our own crossroads. Georgetown is 226 years old, and has taken impressive strides to address innovation; antiquated practices and labyrinthine policies and bureaucracy still stand, but no administrator is evil. Sometimes, I have really hated this place, but Georgetown is impressive, Georgetown cares, Georgetown is home. The Hoya is 95 years old, and who knows what the world of campus media will look like by the time it hits its centennial. As frustrating as production nights and disparate respect may be, we can effect change, and we have; it does not matter if we are slagged off for perceived liberal biases or for self-importance if we are doing our very best to practice good journalism and shed light on important stories. I am 21 years old, and someone has told me that this is the best job I will ever have — and it is coming to a close, rapidly. I am terrified of the future. But inspired by the little perspective I have been able to eke out in the process of writing this, I would like to thank Georgetown and The Hoya; I do not even know if I know for what, exactly, but the best gifts are intangible.
I have grappled with disillusionment — with the university, with The Hoya and with myself.
Mallika Sen is a senior in the School of Foreign Service and the 141st editor-in-chief of The Hoya. Her term ends Saturday.
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ast week, President DeGioia accepted a recommendation to scrub the names Mulledy and McSherry from university buildings. The names Freedom and Remembrance took their places. Mulledy and McSherry symbolized what was most odious about Georgetown and the Maryland Jesuits’ history — the conclusion of a century of contest and deliberation about slavery, manumission and race with a mad dash towards a propitious sale. By contrast, Healy Hall and its namesake, Fr. Patrick Healy, stand as foils in our memory. Healy, after all, was the first black president of a predominantly white institution, as the accolade goes. But for Healy, who desperately toed the opposite side of the color line the situation, was more complicated. Fr. Patrick Healy was born in 1834 to Mary Eliza — a biracial former slave who had been purchased out of captivity by her soon-to-be husband, Michael. Michael Healy owned 49 slaves on a plantation in Macon, Ga. It was from his mother Matthew Mary Eliza that Patrick Healy inherited his vital if contrived one drop rule, which legally classified an individual as black if they possessed even “one drop” of black blood for the purposes of racially discriminating statutes. In his home state, the law considered Patrick Healy to be a slave (such status was usually maternal). So his selection as president of Georgetown in 1873 was nothing short of remarkable. It encapsulates a story of a rise to prominence unexpected for a black American in the mid-19th century. It also mistakenly post-dates Georgetown’s racial progress to 1873, although that transformation came much later. Patrick Healy’s integration into the Jesuits and his success in society writlarge required him to jettison his connections to blackness. He rose, not just despite, but in opposition to his heritage. The Jesuits called him the “Spaniard” — a name meant to explain his olive complexion. In the early 2000s, James O’Toole, who studies the Healy family, nuanced the story significantly. Patrick Healy struggled desperately to pass as white for many years. But his secret dogged him. As a young Jesuit, he distanced himself from the darker-skinned members of his family, several brothers in particular. Healy recalled having to endure insults at the College of the Holy Cross in a letter he wrote to Jesuit George Fenwick, a mentor to Healy and an individual whose name appears constantly in the archives in connection with slavery. Healy self-identified publicly as white. The Jesuits at Georgetown accepted this publicly, if not privately. Healy arrived in Washington, D.C., in the late 1860s when the power of the radical Republicans reached its climax. The project of reconstruction meant milder official policing of the racial
line, despite Washington’s status as a Southern city. But, as O’Toole points out, neither Healy’s claims of whiteness nor the relatively progressive political climate that prevailed in the 1860s in Washington could shield Healy from the racism that abounded in Georgetown. Shortly before Healy arrived at Georgetown, O’Toole highlights, the university treasurer circulated a letter claiming Healy had no brain by virtue of his race. In fact, the Jesuits were reluctant to make Healy president. Despite acknowledging his qualifications, they constantly referred to his “problem.” A racial problem, plainly. It was mostly a sudden death and a death of alternative candidates that thrust Healy to the top. From there, Healy’s accomplishments, if plagued by debts, were towering. He reoriented the university within a decade. In a sense, Healy had made it. So much so that he joined many of those around him in snickering at black community members: evoking common white stereotypes by calling Quallen them “rather lazy.” He invoked the common tropes of the period against the group — laziness, dim-wittedness — in a private journal entry. In fact, until the 1960s, Healy was even remembered more or less as he expected: a pioneering, white president of Georgetown. Then the narrative shifted. Healy’s blackness, once a closet-case, became a selling point in the post-civil rights era. His portrait was slashed because he was black — a label Healy never applied to himself. He became the first black president of a predominantly white university. The first black Ph.D. The firsts and plaudits continue. The re-remembering of Healy in the 1950s and 60s offered a way for Georgetown to resituate itself as a racially progressive site. Really, Georgetown was a racially vexed site and Patrick Healy was one of its chief protagonists. Healy publicly considered himself white and at times seems to even have privately considered himself white. But no doubt years of hounding, snickers and jokes — “hurtful words,” he once called them — troubled Healy’s mind. How could he expunge what he bore from birth? What institutions and people had worked for centuries to identify, maintain and police. The case of Patrick Healy redirects attention to the long presence of liminal characters. Healy could embrace neither category fully — black or white. But to be white meant to survive and prosper, while to be black meant the opposite, with no other choices. So Healy, made alien, estranged and tormented, passed for white. But passing and being are not, and never have been, the same.
Matthew Quallen is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. Hoya Historian appears every other Friday.
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NEWS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Mind-Body Medicine Program consists of courses on stress relief and meditation techniques. Story on A8.
Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.
IN FOCUS
SHALL WE DANCE?
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verbatim
Providing housing up front for those who want it both protects their dignity and has been shown to save money.” Mandy Brouillard (NHS ’18), a coordinator for Hoya/Homeless Outreach Programs. Story on A8.
from
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Rangila, an annual dance performance organized by the South Asian Society, returns this year with shows this Friday and Saturday evening in Gaston Hall. Student performers spent the past weeks rehearsing for the event.
RANGILA PREVIEW 2015 4E interviews the choreographers of Rangila 2015 to learn more about their dances and inspirations. Are you game? blog.thehoya.com
Crime Down 1 Year After Initiative 71 Cawley, Prominent Donor, Dies ALY PACHTER Hoya Staff Writer
FILE PHOTO: DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA
Marijuana-related arrests in D.C. are down 99.2 percent from last year following the November 2014 passage of Initiative 71, which legalized the possession, growth and use of marijuana. According to the MPD, there have been seven arrests this year, compared with 895 in 2014.
SARAH FISHER Hoya Staff Writer
One year after the passage of Initiative 71, a ballot measure that legalized the possession, growth and use of marijuana in the District of Columbia, marijuana-related crimes are down 99.2 percent from last year. Nov. 4 marked the first anniversary of the legislation that allows individuals over the age of 21 to possess and transport two ounces or fewer of marijuana and grow up to six marijuana plants at one time within the interior of their principal residence. However, they cannot keep more than three mature marijuana plants at a single time. Smoking in public is still illegal, as is smoking on federal land. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, there have been seven arrests for marijuana-related crimes as of Nov. 6, down 99.2 percent from 2014’s 895 arrests. The data indicate a sharp decrease in marijuana arrests in the five years since 2010, with 2,161 arrests in 2010, 2,346 in 2011, 1,553 in 2012 and 1,215 in 2013. MPD Chief Cathy Lanier emphasized the strong public support for legalizing marijuana and its positive impact. “Seventy percent of the public supported [Initiative 71],” Lanier said in a February 2015 interview with The Daily Beast after the initiative was officially implemented. “All those arrests do is make people hate us.” Georgetown University Police Department Chief Jay Gruber discussed the positive effects of the new law on police department strategies in general.
“Because of the law, we’ll probably be arresting less people. And as a result, the criminal justice system won’t be as backlogged,” Gruber said. “Another way to look at it from a police perspective, we won’t be spending as much time processing criminals. In general, a lot of police departments spend a lot of time arresting people for small amounts of marijuana.” Gruber stressed that Initiative 71 responded to the will of the people, with the legalization of marijuana reflecting what the public thought to be a fair policy. “I think people don’t like it when the police enforce laws that people feel are unfair. It’s obvious that the residents of the District of Columbia thought that this law was unfair,” Gruber said. According to McCourt School of Public Policy professor Mark Rom, marijuana culture in D.C. has not seen drastic changes since the introduction of Initiative 71. “Are more people using pot now that it’s legalized? I’m guessing probably not,” Rom said. Rom compared the current ban on drinking in public to the former ban on marijuana smoking and discussed how race also affects both drinking and marijuana use in public. “Let me note that drinking in public is also illegal, but … the National Symphony plays at the Capitol on the west front of the Capitol, on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day. If you’re a white person down there with a picnic blanket and a couple bottles of wine, you will never be hassled by the police,” Rom said. “So that is a case where I’m thinking I’m really glad that those who are not as old and affluent and
white can also live their lives without being hassled and arrested by the police.” Despite broader legalization in D.C., marijuana is still banned on Georgetown’s campus, a policy Gruber maintained is necessary for the university. “The university receives federal funding, marijuana is still considered criminal under federal law, so we still have to enforce the marijuana laws on campus,” Gruber said. “Although we can no longer arrest for small amounts, we still do refer students to student conduct.” Gina Kim (SFS ’18) said the school has a right to regulate marijuana on campus, although she is in favor of legalization in the District. “Because marijuana is legal in D.C., I think that regulation of it should be similar to alcohol,” Kim said. “There are places on campus that are dry and alcohol is not allowed in these places but it is allowed in others. This is the way I think marijuana should be.” Rom had a somewhat different take on why he felt that marijuana should be banned on campus. “I think that Georgetown should still have a no-pot-smoking policy on campus. … I don’t want it to be enforced with draconian stringency, but I think our student population is better off the less we drink, the less we smoke,” Rom said. “I like pot. … So, you know, count me in the personal pro-pot-using community. Nonetheless, I don’t think it’s a good thing for us, by and large.” Outside of the District of Columbia, marijuana is now legal in 20 states, including Colorado and Oregon.
Charles Cawley (CAS ’62), whose donations to the university led to the construction of the Davis Performing Arts Center in 2005 and the Cawley Career Education Center in 1994, died at the age of 75 at his home in Camden, Minn., Wednesday morning. The cause of death has yet to be disclosed. The donations by Cawley and the MBNA Corporation funded the construction of the career center in 1994. The donations also funded the adjacent Sellinger Lounge, named for Cawley’s mentor and former Georgetown College Dean Rev. Joseph Sellinger, S.J. The career center, which originally had an unspecified name, was renamed after Cawley in 2012. It is currently housed in Leavey Center. Cawley was also instrumental in the continued funding of the Baker Scholars Program, an undergraduate initiative to cultivate socially conscious business leaders. Cawley also established the 1111 Cawley/Murphy GU Scholarship in memory of his nephew. The scholarship is awarded to undergraduates from Delaware, Maine, Maryland or New Jersey who demonstrate financial need. Cawley founded the MBNA Corporation in 1982 and served as its CEO from 1982 to 2003. The company grew into the world’s largest credit card issuer before Bank of America bought the company for $35 billion in 2006. Cawley spearheaded the affinity lending industry, recruiting organizations such as universities, sports teams and charities to sponsor credit cards backed by the company. Cawley and MBNA are also credited with reviving downtown Wilmington, Del., after opening their headquarters there in 1995. Georgetown honored Cawley first with the John Carroll Award in 1998, then again with the Wall Street Alliance Award in 2002 for his service to the university. Cawley is survived by his wife Julie and their two children C. Michael Cawley (CAS ’86) and Maureen Cawley Rhodes (CAS ’88).
A full obituary will be published on thehoya.com.
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friday, november 20, 2015
THE HOYA
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Onion Founder Talks Satire, Career GU Lecture Fund Expands Membership
Tara Subramaniam Hoya Staff Writer
Scott Dikkers, founding editor and former editor-in-chief of The Onion, called on students to follow their passions by recounting his experiences founding the satirical publication in the Intercultural Center Auditorium on Monday. The Georgetown University Student Association and the Lecture Fund collaborated to bring Dikkers to campus. More than 300 people attended the event, which was titled “The Funny Story Behind the Funny Stories.” Dikkers encouraged students to choose careers based on their passions. “Live your mission. Don’t worry about the money; just do what you love, obsessively and without hesitation,” Dikkers said. “You don’t want to work hard, you don’t want to work smart, you want to work right.” Dikkers said that his journey toward comedy came as a result of a bleak childhood, which included a suicide attempt in the third grade and his parents’ divorce in middle school. “I learned that if you made the bullies laugh, they wouldn’t beat you up. So I learned to write funny and draw funny,” Dikkers said. “The main thing I learned in school was that humor was a coping mechanism for just about anything life throws at you.” Dikkers said he began to see his interest in comedy as a potential career when a comic strip he wrote for a local high school paper won first place in a Wisconsin state journalism contest. Shortly after, he sent comic strips to news syndicates every week for years until The Daily Cardinal, the newspaper of the University of WisconsinMadison, turned one of his strips into the daily comic “Jim’s Journal.” Eventually, the comic ran in around 100 college papers and Dikkers selfpublished the series in a book that made national best-sellers lists. “Jim’s Journal” caught the attention of two college students with the idea to start a humor magazine — The Onion — at UW-Madison. According to Dikker, the working title for the publication was originally The Rag, but the group settled on The Onion. “The Onion seemed like a great name for a newspaper. You peel back the layers to get at the facts. I don’t understand why it’s not in the acceptable pantheon of newspaper names like ‘The Herald’ or ‘The Beacon’. Of course we’ve ruined it now for everyone,” Dikkers said. Dikker said that one of The Onion’s strongest features is its unique staff. “Most of our writers were at some
Paul Tsavoussis Special to The Hoya
STEPHANIE YUAN FOR THE HOYA
Scott Dikkers, founding editor and former editor-in-chief of The Onion, spoke to more than 300 students in the ICC Auditorium on Monday. point on prescription drugs and came from broken homes. Our head writer for many years was clinically depressed, actually suicidal. … We hired an agoraphobic, a pathological liar and a conspiracy nut,” Dikkers said. “These were our A-players. They were smart, they were bitter and they had no prospects in life, so they appreciated the soapbox.” Dikker recalled that these writers, coupled with The Onion’s brand of humor, garnered controversy for the publication. “We got a lot of calls. We got one from the Taco Bell Corporation at one point because they did not at all like our story ‘Taco Bell Unveils New “Morning-After” Burrito,’” Dikkers said. In the mid-2000s, The Onion launched The Onion News Network, an original online video content platform. “When we started the new video arm, we started to have a lot of the same problems we had when we started the paper. People kept calling us angry, because they were confused and thought it was real news,” Dikkers said. “We had exposed ourselves to a whole other demographic of people who don’t read and only watch their news.” According to GUSA President Joe Luther (COL ’16), who worked with the Lecture Fund to invite Dikkers to campus, the event comes as the result of a long planning process. Luther is the former editor-in-chief of the sa-
tirical publication The Georgetown Heckler. “This is something we’ve been kicking around since February. We talked with The Onion about sending actual writers but … we made the judgment call that the perspective would be more helpful and have a broader appeal if it was the founder of the publication,” Luther said. Luther said he particularly resonated with Dikkers’ comments on following one’s passions. “I liked his emphasis that it’s not how much you’re making or materially how well you’re doing, it’s just about if you’re pursuing what you love. It was really great to hear that as long as you’re doing what you love, you could be happy,” Luther said. Sam Matta (COL ’19), an attendee, said Dikkers’ remarks were both humorous and informative. “He did a good balance of making it funny, but he spoke a lot about entrepreneurship and the work that it takes to actually be a comedy writer, which was really interesting,” Matta said. Luther agreed that Dikkers’ talk was useful, especially to those looking to learn more about comedy. “I think he imparted a lot of wisdom and knowledge to the crowd. I was blown away to see so many people there interested in satire and its effects on society … and I really, really hope he hires me someday,” Luther said.
The Lecture Fund recently restructured its organization to include a general body membership, which met for the first time in Healy Hall last Wednesday. This marks the first time that the nonpartisan, student group has created an open forum to collaborate with students and discuss initiatives to improve campus dialogue. General body members will also provide assistance to individual students who wish to organize speaker events without the help of a student group and address event accommodations for students with disabilities. According to Lecture Fund CoVice Chair Hayden Jeong (MSB ’17), the Lecture Fund has been working on establishing the general body membership to gather student feedback for several semesters. “Catering to what the Georgetown students want is going to help us host more effective events in the future,” Jeong said. Jeong also said that the Lecture Fund hopes to gain student perspectives on how to constructively contribute to campus activism and promote free speech. With the new structure, organizations interested in bringing a speaker to campus can have the event co-sponsored by the Lecture Fund, which will provide financial, logistical and marketing support. The group will continue to host an active calendar of speakers addressing a range of subjects and disciplines. During the event Wednesday, students called for members of the Black Lives Matter movement to come to campus and address racial tensions in the United States. Others suggested inviting political experts to speak about the current presidential election. The event was attended by 10 students. At one point, Lecture Fund CoVice Chair D.J. Angelini (MSB ’17) asked the students to suggest the one individual that they would most like to see at an event in Georgetown. Responses included Stephen Colbert, Bill Nye and Samantha Power. The Lecture Fund has hosted five speakers throughout the semester, ranging from Kiran Ghand, former drummer for English hip-hop artist M.I.A., to Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion. The group
will host two more speakers before the end of the semester. The forum also served as an opportunity for the Lecture Fund to gauge students’ stances on certain issues and adjust their programming based on student perspectives. According to Jeong, the organization hopes to hold more regular general membership meetings in the future and make them a consistent part of its effort to ensure that the Lecture Fund is as receptive as possible to the student body. Jeong said she hopes to host another meeting before the end of the fall semester and conduct monthly meetings upon returning in the spring. “Whether you come to three in a row or if you stop by every now and then, we would love to see familiar faces,” Jeong said. “[We also want] to speak with students who haven’t interacted with us before.” Jeong said that she hopes the forum will dispel some preconceived notions about the exclusivity of the Lecture Fund and highlight the organization’s genuine interest in the opinions of the student body. “We definitely want students to see that some of the stereotypes that they might have aren’t necessarily true,” Jeong said. “Sometimes students think all we do is stand in line and usher people into Gaston. “We do a lot more than that and we want [students] to know the full range of our services. We want them to tell us what they want from us.” Alexander Mooney (MSB ’19), who attended the meeting, said that the event was a great way for potential members of the group to learn about the organization and how to contribute to shaping campus dialogue. “Lecture Fund is all about inspiring dialogue. … So having a general membership meeting for selective clubs like this is a really helpful way to know who would actually be committed to the club and involve the student body,” Mooney said. Grant Olson (COL ’19), who also attended the meeting, said that it is important for students to draw on a diverse assortment of speakers. “You know you can aim high for the big names,” Olson said. “But you can aim for the niche names that people might not really know, but can enlighten a section of the student body that really makes a difference.”
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THE HOYA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015
Sanders Speech Defines Democratic Socialism SANDERS, from A1 other countries, including Denmark, Canada and Taiwan, employ democratic socialist models. “I hope all of you know this is not a radical idea. It is a conservative idea. It is an idea and a practice that exists in every other major country on earth,” Sanders said.
“I do believe in equal treatment for AfricanAmericans, who are right to proclaim the moral principle that black lives matter.” BERNIE SANDERS Democratic Presidential Candidate
In addition to presenting his platform for the economy, Sanders shed light on his stance on social issues, including his support for open immigration policies and his critiques of the fossil fuel industry and mass incarceration. In a comment that drew the afternoon’s loudest applause, Sanders expressed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. “I do believe in equal treatment for African-Americans, who are right to proclaim the moral principle that black lives matter,” Sanders said. Shifting to foreign policy, Sanders warned against repeating failed policies of the Bush administration and that military action should be authorized with caution. “Our response must begin with an understanding of past mistakes and missteps in our previous approaches to foreign policy,” Sanders said. “Unilateral military options should be a last resort, not a first report.” Sanders suggested that the United States should play a facilitative role in the fight against the Islamic State group. “While the U.S. and other Western nations have the strength of our militaries, the fight against ISIS is a struggle for the soul of Islam, and countering violent extremism and destroying ISIS must be done
primarily by Muslim nations with strong support of their global partners,” Sanders said. In a question-and-answer session following the address, Sanders clarified his views on democratic socialism and intervention in the Middle East. Sanders also argued that the United States should open its borders to refugees. The questions were submitted by students prior to the event, and were asked by Elleithee onstage. “I’m not happy about hearing that we should close our borders to men, women and children who have been displaced because of terrorism,” Sanders said. “We should accept refugees from [Syria]. That’s the moral thing to do. Accepting refugees is what America has always done, and I think it’s improper to turn our backs on them now.” The event has been widely anticipated since the IPPS announced it Wednesday morning in a universitywide email. Elleithee said the IPPS was excited to host Sanders as its first presidential candidate guest. “Bernie Sanders has been saying for weeks that he wanted to give a speech discussing his political worldview and democratic socialism in America. We completely agree with him. Georgetown is the perfect place to give it,” Elleithee wrote in an email to The Hoya.
“Accepting refugees is what America has always done, and I think it’s improper to turn our backs on them now.” BERNIE SANDERS Democratic Presidential Candidate
Students began lining up outside Gaston Hall at 6 a.m., with the queue stretching out to the front gates by the time doors opened. The rainy weather did little to deter students from waiting outside Healy Hall. Many students were turned away after the seats were filled. Alan Chen (COL ’18), an attendee, said that although he does not agree with Sanders’ political views, he ap-
Advocacy Letter Protests Nike Use NIKE, from A1 long history of engaging on the important issue of workers’ rights in the collegiate apparel industry,” Watson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “During its monthly meeting today, Georgetown’s Licensing Oversight Committee discussed the concerns about Nike that have been raised by some of our students. We are gathering more information and will continue to work with everyone involved.” The athletics department has not issued a statement. Maxmin said the decision to take a stand against Nike is an important way to raise awareness on the issue of workers’ rights and the need for ethically sourced apparel. “We don’t want this just to be seen as athletes pressuring other athletes to boycott Nike,” Maxmin said. “We are students and athletes shedding light and raising consciousness about an issue on campus that we think is important, and that we think people should know about.” An anonymous student-athlete said the letter serves as an effective way to inform the student body of AAWS’ mission. “The reason that we released this letter is because we want the students at Georgetown to know what’s going on and to make their own decision,” the studentathlete said. The anonymous student-athlete also said the movement is part of a larger development at universities across the
country. AAWS has collaborated with United Students Against Sweatshops to create a day of action Thursday, in which groups across the country advocated for the cause. “This isn’t just Georgetown. This is schools all over the U.S. that are concerned about this issue, and 40 schools dropped letters to their administration on Thursday to make their campus and their administration aware,” the studentathlete said. Maxmin said that the letter is a result of a larger consensus of the student body and not restricted to a particular group of students. “This letter is not representative of one single person, student or athlete’s point of view. This is a collective viewpoint of a larger group, a larger movement,” Maxmin said. Maxmin also said further dialogue on the movement will occur Dec. 1 in a town hall, potentially featuring Office of Federal Relations Associate Vice President Scott Fleming, who also serves on the university Licensing and Oversight Committee and as a board member of the WRC. Students in the AAWS stress that this movement comes from a desire to make sure Georgetown upholds its Jesuit values in all avenues of administration. “As a Jesuit University, we educate ‘men and women for others,’ which means we must act when we see injustice,” the letter reads. “We love Georgetown, we believe in Georgetown and that is why we are asking this.”
COURTESY JAKE MAXMIN
The Office of University President John J. DeGioia received a letter from student-athletes protesting against Nike yesterday morning.
ROBERT CORTES/THE HOYA
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivered an address outlining his economic and foreign policy platforms and answered student questions in Gaston Hall yesterday. preciated his efforts in engaging student voters. “Personally, I don’t agree with him on many of the political issues, but I think that he is the most willing out of any of the candidates to be engaged with young people like us and college-aged voters, and I think that’s very encouraging for the political process,” Chen said. Erin Leonard (SFS ’16), a coordinator of the student group Georgetown for Bernie, said she was impressed by Sanders’ performance. Members of the group and the College Democrats met with Sanders after the event. “It was amazing getting to see Bernie today, and feel how much energy was in the room,” Leonard wrote in
an email to The Hoya. “I think he summarized his platform really well and I was really glad that he talked about his stance on foreign policy, because that’s definitely on everyone’s mind right now.” Democratic Socialists of America Deputy Director David Duhlade, an attendee, said democratic socialist views are particularly appealing to younger generations. The DSA, a national political organization, also operates a student wing, Young Democratic Socialists, which has previously hosted chapters at Georgetown. “We’ve seen a surge in support, partly because of Bernie, and because our generation of millennials, who have been the most hurt by the re-
cession and the aftershocks, are also the most open to democratic socialist politics and change,” Duhlade said. Jules Bernstein, an employment attorney who attended the speech, said the event’s turnout is a testament to Sanders’ growing popularity. “It demonstrates that young people are very interested in hearing from Bernie, what he has to say, and he has some very important things to say,” Bernstein said. “The fact that there are probably over 1,000 people here who wanted to hear him is very gratifying. They want change.” Hoya Staff Writer Syed Humza Moinuddin contributed reporting.
MPD Body Cameras Challenged MPD, from A1 and footage retention, misuse and access. This scorecard coincides with the American Civil Liberties Union’s release of the Mobile Justice app, which allows citizens to record police encounters and submit a case-intake form within the app.
“The purpose of this scorecard that we released was to examine and evaluate these details of what these policies are.” HARLAN YU President, Upturn
The police departments received a green check mark if their policy fully satisfied the criteria, a yellow circle if the policy partially satisfied the criteria and a red cross if the policy did not address the issue or ran directly against their principles. The MPD received three red crosses in the categories of officers’ ability to review the footage before writing their reports on the incidents, requirements for footage retention and the use of biometric footage searching. Of the 25 police departments studied, none received green check marks across the board. One department, belonging to Ferguson, Mo., received all red crosses. According to Upturn Principal Harlan Yu, the purpose of the scorecard is to allow various departments to compare their policies to other departments in order to improve. “One of the main reasons why we made this scorecard was because policies around body-worn cameras are all over the place across the country. The purpose of this scorecard that we released was to examine and evaluate these details of what these policies are,” Yu said. “The whole purpose of this is to help police departments improve their policies over time, to look at their peer departments and to see where other departments are doing well and where other departments might be lacking.” Yu raised specific issues within MPD’s body-worn camera program, such as the ability of officers to review footage before filing their initial incident reports and the use of biometric footage
searching. Yu said if an officer views the footage before writing a report, they have the opportunity to claim more credibility than other witnesses. “The concern here is that if officers are allowed to view the footage before writing a statement, the officer’s statement will always appear more accurate and more credible than other witness statements,” Yu said. “Other witnesses don’t have the benefit of being able to watch the footage and then give a statement to investigators or in a court of law. If officers are allowed to view the footage, this creates an uneven playing field.” MPD declined to comment on the issues brought up by the policy scorecard. However, a district official from the mayor’s office, who declined to be named out of concern about job safety, maintained that being able to view the footage has allowed for more accurate incident reports. “In the officer incident report, it should reflect all the facts available to the officer and that would include what the officer’s own recollection of the event was, any notes that the officer took and, obviously, the body camera footage,” the district official said. “So when the officer goes back to write up the incident report, that report would reflect all the information that’s out there and available to the officer about what occurred.” Bowser’s office also emphasized that her proposal attempts to balance the issues of transparency and individual privacy by amending the Freedom of Information Act to prohibit certain footage from being released to the public. The district official from the mayor’s office stressed that this amendment would protect the privacy of victims of crimes such as domestic abuse, sexual assault and various similar crimes. “The concern is that because those types of crimes are so personal, we don’t want to do anything to dissuade future victims from coming forward out of fear that their interactions with officers could be released on the evening news,” the district official said. “That’s our proposal on how to ensure the privacy of those victims of highly personal crimes.” Yu proposed a two-step process in which the officer would write an initial report without viewing the footage and then a second report after viewing the footage. Yu said that he did not see the
problem with requiring officers to write two reports. “I don’t think that this necessarily precludes the process where an officer initially needs to provide an independent account of what he or she remembers,” Yu said. “These things are not mutually exclusive. We can get both.” Yu also explained that MPD did not have a policy in place to limit the use of biometric searching, such as facial recognition, for footage. Yu contended that biometric searching obstructs various civil liberties, pointing out that officers could simply walk by a crowd and identify individuals automatically, including individuals with warrants or previous arrests. “I think this creates problems for freedom of association and ultimately, freedom of speech,” Yu said. Yu pointed to the Baltimore Police Department’s stringent restrictions on biometric searching as a model for other departments. Baltimore was the only department awarded a green check mark in this category.
“I think the programs will show that law enforcement officers generally do an excellent job.” Jay GRUBER Chief of Police, GUPD
Georgetown University Police Department Chief Jay Gruber said he believes body-worn camera footage will serve as evidence that officers, in general, act commendably, although GUPD does not have access to this program. “I think the programs will show that law enforcement officers generally do an excellent job, have great decision-making under pressure. I think that they’re given a bad rep because a lot of the people that they’re dealing with are anti-police,” Gruber said. “They don’t want to be arrested, they’re criminals and for those people that don’t fit that, the general public, police officers present a very professional attitude.” Gruber added that there were exceptions to the overall professionalism of police officers and he hopes that body-worn cameras will bring these exceptions to light.
NEWS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015
THE HOYA
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Mindfulness Meditation, Stress Relief Program Expands OWEN EAGAN Hoya Staff Writer
“There is nothing that I am prouder of,” Georgetown University Medical Center professor Aviad Haramati said with a smile, recalling his role in the founding of the Mind-Body Medicine Program 13 years ago. The program, built around a series of courses in GUMC, teaches self-care strategies of stress relief and mindfulness to help students navigate their academic challenges and maintain a lifelong sense of well-being. In recent years, the program has expanded significantly. It formed in 2002 with a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s former National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Initially, it was offered through the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Masters Program in Physiology before spreading to the School of Nursing and Health Studies in 2007, the Georgetown University Law Center in 2008 and the School of Foreign Service in 2011. Haramati felt that the stress culture at Georgetown required an educational response. “We wanted … to see if we could help students become self aware, manage stress, learn about themselves and about each other and foster a community that was more empathic,” Haramati said. “That was our goal.” Faculty members volunteer to become certified by the School of Medicine to teach the course and receive no payment for their teaching. Associate SFS Dean Anthony Pirrotti, who teaches an undergraduate mindbody medicine class, said faculty members benefit alongside their students. “The people who lead the classes really enjoy doing it,” Pirrotti said. “I also think that we all feel like we learn something each week too and that’s what we get out of it.” The program left the NHS in 2010, but any undergraduate student can enroll in a one-credit course called “Intro to Mind-Body Connection.” The course, typically capped at 10 students per section and graded on a pass or fail basis, introduces students to various types of meditation. Techniques taught include breath meditation, guided imagery, journal writing and art exercises. Program Director Nancy Harazduk said the mindfulness meditation skills imparted in the course could help students to cope with stress. “[Mindfulness meditation is] focusing on one specific thing intentionally and non-judgmentally in the present moment,” Harazduk said. “One of the main reasons that we’re stressed is we regret the past, or we worry
NAAZ MODAN/THE HOYA
The Mind-Body Medicine Program, which launched 13 years ago in the Georgetown University Medical Center, has expanded to undergraduates over the past few years, catering students in the School of Nursing and Health Studies and the School of Foreign Service who experience stress. about the future, but if we can let that go, and stay in the present, the stress is lessened.” According to Harazduk, students in the program form close bonds with the other members of their groups. “They share things that are true to their souls with others so they become intimately connected,” Harazduk said. “They help each other, and I think that a vital part of the group is connecting with other people.” Students who took the course in the School of Medicine echoed this sentiment. “I can’t possibly express in words how beneficial [being in a group] is,” Sadie Canter (MED ’18) said. “It helps you to put things in perspective.” Kevin Diasti (MED ’18) said that the mindfulness emphasized in the program could be beneficial for anyone. “I think a good attention to centeredness to yourself, to the person that you are, for your mental health, is integral for everyone in our society,” Diasti said. According to a 2015 survey by the American College Health Association,
86.7 percent of college students reported feeling overwhelmed within the past 12 months.
“There is a stress culture, and students tend to glorify being busy, which means they’re filling their lives with all kinds of things.” CAROL DAY Health Education Services Director
While Georgetown’s student stress data is kept confidential, Health Education Services Director Carol Day said Georgetown students report levels of stress that mirror national trends. “There is a stress culture, and stu-
dents tend to glorify being busy, which means they’re filling their lives with all kinds of things,” Day said. “I think that doing too much is the norm.” Day said the program aims to address this problem. “It’s one way to help the students and the faculty reduce their stress and reduce their burnout,” Day said. In a recent student stress survey conducted by Reza Baghaee-Rezaee (NHS ’18), Emily Ko (NHS ’18) and Tracy Acheampong (NHS ’18), 167 subjects reported an average stress level of five out of 10 without pending exams and a stress level of eight with pending exams. At the end of the survey, students were asked to comment on the stress culture at Georgetown. “The stress atmosphere here is toxic,” one student wrote. Kayleigh Hauri (COL ’16), who enrolled in the undergraduate mindbody medicine course last semester, said the pressure to succeed at Georgetown sometimes causes students to neglect their mental and physical
health. “I think that people push themselves really hard because they want to do well, but at the cost of their mental health or their own health in general,” Hauri said. Director of Georgetown’s Counseling and Psychiatric Service Philip Meilman said mindfulness can help students cope in the face of stress. “The typical Georgetown student is highly talented and achievement-oriented. Sometimes, however, one can be so active that self care falls by the wayside,” Meilman wrote in an email to THE HOYA. “Mindfulness and meditation enable a student to push the ‘pause’ button and do something very supportive of one’s own health and well-being.” Pirrotti said he hopes that the program will expand further and continue to meet student demand. “I think that there’s clearly a need for it — there’s clearly an interest,” Pirotti said. “The key is getting more faculty members who are interested in teaching it and in running it. I hope it does grow.”
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THE HOYA
Friday, november 20, 2015
Homelessness Influx Prompts City Response Lisa Burgoa Hoya Staff Writer
Washington, D.C., faces the challenge of accommodating 700 displaced families during the hypothermia season from Nov. 1 to April 1, when belowfreezing temperatures trigger the rightto-shelter law in D.C. that mandates housing for all homeless people. The surge in homeless families seeking shelter has prompted Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration to be proactive in its approach, renting out motel rooms to 400 families to facilitate potentially record-breaking numbers before the annual cold front hits the District. According to The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, there are around 7,784 homeless individuals in D.C. on a given night. Bowser allocated a $23 million budget to combat homelessness this year. The D.C. Council established guidelines for the construction of six dormitory-style facilities to replace the dilapidated D.C. General Hospital shelter, which Bowser vowed to shutter Nov. 3. The shelter, located in southeast D.C., is overcrowded with upward of 250 families and has been plagued with complaints of poor sanitary conditions and internal dysfunction since its conversion from a hospital in 2010. The six replacement shelters will house no more than 50 families each, and will provide rehabilitative services including job placement and work readiness training. The shelters aim to slash the length of time homeless families need to find stable housing to 60 to 90 days, down from the nine- to 12-month average stay of families in the D.C. General Hospital. Dora Taylor, the public information officer for the mayoral department of human services, said the communitybased nature of the new shelters will hopefully alleviate the difficulties of searching for housing. “The concept behind smaller community-based shelters is that people can stay within their own communities and hopefully return to stable housing as soon as possible but also have access to those supports in their own communities,” Taylor said. “The way the current system runs with D.C. General, when you become displaced or become homeless you generally have to leave your community to receive shelter service and generally you have to pull your children out of their school in a process that’s just one big nightmare.” In its guidelines, the council rejected Councilmember Mary Cheh’s (D-Ward 3) amendment requiring private bathrooms for each housing unit. In a nine to four vote, it opted instead for Chairman Phil Mendelson’s (D-At Large) compromise, which mandates that a minimum of 10 percent of units have private bathrooms. Proponents maintain the decision is more cost-effective and will save approximately $1 million in construction costs and $225,000 per year in a 20-year lease. However, advocates for the homeless condemn the lack of private bathrooms laid out in the construction guidelines. Critics of the plan argue private bathrooms are essential to the safety and dignity of homeless
families, citing uncomfortable or dangerous situations in communal restrooms. These include the contraction of infections from other inhabitants and decisions of whether to send young boys to the men’s bathrooms unaccompanied or into the women’s ones with their mothers. Nassim Moshiree, a staff attorney for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said the council’s cost concerns do not justify the deprivation of safety for children and the disabled who will live in the shelters. “There are things that, even if they cost more, are such a basic level of dignity that if they cost more, you find the money,” Moshiree said. “You don’t just take away that very basic need that people have, and that’s how we see private bathrooms.” Moshiree said that, ultimately, it is the responsibility of members of the D.C. Council, as well as advocacy groups and private citizens, to be vigilant about the conditions of the homeless under the mayor’s plan. “Even the councilmembers who passed the law with 10 percent private bathrooms said this is going to be a bare minimum requirement and that they would want to see the mayor go above what is required in the law,” Moshiree said. “We are hoping that the mayor will take that opportunity and maximize the number of private bathrooms that they actually build in the replacement shelters and that we all will keep an eye out on and keep advocating for the rights of people who are all too often forgotten by the community.” However, Taylor maintained that the council’s decision was realistic in terms of budgetary constraints and does not compromise the dignity of families residing in the shelter. “Each shelter is going to be smaller, and it’ll be easier for families to share spaces if there are not as many families demanding those spaces,” Taylor said. ”I think in the end people will just have to see the end result, but the plan for these shelters is that they’re modernized, they are state-of-the-art, they are extremely dignified, and I would even go so far as to say that they’re beautiful.” In addition to closing down the D.C. General Hospital shelter, Mayor Bowser vowed to eradicate veteran homelessness by the end of this year, family homelessness by 2017 and all chronic homelessness by 2020. Mandy Brouillard (NHS ’18), who serves as a Friday Foods coordinator for Hoya/Homeless Outreach Programs and Education, said the investment in smaller shelters would mitigate some of the problems she witnesses during weekly conversations with the homeless as she delivers them sandwiches for the Friday Foods program. “I think that recognizing flaws in the shelter system is an important step to providing more efficient housing,” Brouillard said. “In the longterm, investing in smaller shelters and permanent housing will pay off. … Providing housing up front for those who want it both protects their dignity and has been shown to save money.”
ITUNES
Margie Omero and Kristen Soltis Anderson, co-hosts of “The Pollsters” podcast, were the first speakers for the Institute of Politics and Public Service’s new Women and Politics series, which began Nov. 9.
Women and Politics Series Debuts Ian Scoville Hoya Staff Writer
The Institute of Politics and Public Service launched its Women and Politics speaker series, set to run throughout the election cycle and host speakers from professions including political operations and journalism, Nov. 9. IPPS Executive Director Mo Elleithee (SFS ’94) said plans for the series are currently amorphous and that the frequency of events and topics for issues covered will develop based on student input. “There are a lot of different issues, a lot of different topics we want to cover. We’re going to try to get as many of them in as we can,” Elleithee said. “But we also want to hear from students what they’d like to explore. So over the course of the academic year we’ll be getting ideas for these different panels from a lot of different places.” Elleithee said the series will run as long as it is supported by student interest. “None of these issues are going to go away. And so, yes, we have an election coming up in 2016, but, however that turns out it’s not like these issues go away,” Elleithee said. “This is something we’re committed to for the long haul.” The series will be interactive, rather than lecture-based, giving students opportunities to have conversations with speakers and panelists one-to-one. According to Elleithee, the current political landscape has brought discussion on women in politics to the fore-
front of public concern. “You hear in every election candidates talking about women’s issues,” Elleithee said. “Women in politics is clearly a force and something to be explored and discussed. ... Women are a majority of the electorate now, but too often they’re treated like a minority.” Elleithee added that the IPPS hopes that hosting the series will encourage more women to engage in politics.
“It’s not like these issues go away. ... This is something we’re committed to for the long haul.” MO ELLEITHEE (sfs ’94) Executive Director, IPPS
“Focusing on the issues that are driving the political system, focusing on the people that are driving the political system around these issues, the hope is really to engage more women across the ideological spectrum,” Elleithee said. “By engaging [students] on the very real societal issues around engagement of women in politics, we hope that students will challenge the political professionals to figure out ways to do it better.” The first event included a talk with
Managing Director of Research at Purple Strategies Margie Omero and co-founder of Echelon Insights Kristen Soltis Anderson. Omero and Anderson also co-host a weekly podcast called “The Pollsters,” which will feature a recording of the event in a future episode. Omero stressed the need for not only women but also all members of the political community to discuss women in politics. “They’re your family members. If you’re not a woman, then you’re related to a woman or you’re in a household with a woman or you have a friend, mothers, sisters, co-workers, employees, employers who are all women,” Omero said. She also noted that while there have been advances in broadening the scope of women’s issues, there is still room for progress. “It’s not just about abortion and birth control. It’s about things like gender pay equity, preschool, college affordability, national child care policy, gender discrimination in the workplace, health care affordability and elder care,” Omero said. Niritta Patel (NHS ’19) said she believes that the Women and Politics series will help her and other students become more politically involved. “I personally don’t know too much about politics, and I’ve never really been involved, so I think having IPPS especially on campus geared towards women would definitely be a big step,” Patel said.
Professor Receives Criticism After Pro-Drone Defense Ian Scoville Hoya Staff Writer
School of Foreign Service professor Christine Fair came under criticism from media outlets after advocating for the continued use of drones in civilianinhabited environments in a televised discussion on Al Jazeera on Oct. 23. Fair, a professor in the security studies program, debated the effectiveness of drone strikes in Pakistan with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Glenn Greenwald on Al Jazeera’s “The Arena” program. Following her Al Jazeera appearance, Fair received criticism mainly from social media and from an article in Salon saying she had a “lack of etiquette” and “advocates for a belligerent foreign policy.”
In response to Twitter complaints that Fair would not give Greenwald the opportunity to speak during the debate, Fair tweeted, “Yep. Shut that lying clown down. I don’t care if I you think I’m a rambo bitch. Do you know why? I AM a rambo bitch.” Fair, who advocates for the continued use of drone strikes against high-profile targets, debated against Greenwald, who opposes drone strikes due to their high percentage of alleged civilian casualties. The discussion emerged in light of the release of classified government documents indicating that drones may not be effective in counterterrorism by The Intercept, an online publication cofounded by Greenwald and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. “What [the documents] do primarily is confirm what the people in the
regions where the drones have been killing people have been saying, which is that far more often than not they’re killing people not who are the targets, but who are innocent,” Greenwald said. Greenwald pointed to documents and surveys conducted in affected regions to support his belief that drones are not effective and may do more harm than good. “You’ve heard this from people in Afghanistan and Pakistan continuously, you’ve heard it from researchers and scientists. ... The reason we’re constantly turning more people into terrorists than we’re killing is because the anger and rage from these innocent victims is what then causes people to want to bring violence to the United States,” Greenwald said. In response to Greenwald’s claims, Fair raised concerns with the documents
COURTESY CHRISTINE FAIR
School of Foreign Service professor Christine Fair garnered criticism from news outlets after delivering a prodrone defense opposite reporter Glenn Greenwald on Al Jazeera’s televised “The Arena” program.
themselves. She argued that the data are untrustworthy, making it unethical for Greenwald to say that drones are not effective, as the data do not represent the majority of drone strikes. “So let’s imagine that you have a fishbowl full of 10,000 distinct marbles,” Fair said. “If they’re randomly drawn you can make some limited statements about what those 10,000 marbles look like. But if those 87 are not drawn randomly, maybe they’re the smallest, maybe they’re the biggest. ... You can’t make any generalizations.” Fair and Greenwald then argued over the validity of Greenwald’s claims and the success of the drone program itself. As both attempted to speak over the other, Fair argued that she was the only one bringing substantial points to the discussion. “I actually bring nuance to this, I’m sorry,” Fair said. “This is not ranked propaganda, you don’t know data. Are you capable of being truthful?” While Fair continues to comment on the lack of evidence presented during the Al Jazeera debate, she said events like the debate do not impact her work. “Quite frankly I’m in a security studies program where people like Glenn Greenwald don’t really have a lot of credibility,” Fair said. “Many of the people in our program are military personnel, State Department personnel, CIA personnel. … We have people all over the government.” According to Fair, Greenwald was misinformed and presented little evidence. “It takes a while to unpack someone’s nonsense with data,” Fair said. “You can say any outrageous claim and not have to back it up. But from my point of view, I had to unpack his dubious claims and that’s harder to do than him just spewing out nonsense.” In an article in The Huffington Post following the debate, Fair continued to defend her stance and criticized the de-
bate format. “Oddly, the show was largely focused on Pakistan,” Fair wrote. “However, the ‘Drone Papers’ were not about Pakistan at all — they were about Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. And drone strikes in these countries are actually quite different.” In the article, Fair presented her own data to support her claim that drone strikes do indeed effectively kill militants. “Villagers claimed that, according to the AP report, ‘at least 194 people killed in the attacks, about 70 percent — at least 138 — were militants,” Fair wrote. “The remaining 56 were either civilians or tribal police, and 38 of them were killed in a single attack on March 17, 2011. Excluding [one catastrophically disastrous strike] ... nearly 90 percent of the people killed were militants.’” Professor in the Security Studies Program Paul Sullivan wrote in an email to The Hoya that the debate about how best to tackle terrorism should move to discussing its root causes instead of focusing on military solutions. “Military operations are not sufficient to reduce terrorism,” Sullivan wrote. “They can sometimes incite it. Economic, political, diplomatic, informational, cyber and other operations need to be combined in a long term grand strategic manner, not just in tactical, short run manners for any long term solution or mitigation of terrorism to occur.” According to Fair, the format of and questions asked in the debate were not fair to begin with, necessitating her response. “It was very clear that these two were going to conspire to make it difficult for me to back up with data my reasons for discounting virtually everything that he said,” Fair said. “I said, ‘Fine, I’m going to do what you’re doing.’ This isn’t a fair fight, and I’m not going to act like it is one.”
NEWS
FRIDAY, november 20, 2015
THE HOYA
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University Partners With Coca-Cola, Canteen for Upgrades up-to-date with technology trends, according to Wiese. had to upgrade the GOCard system “[Replacing readers on vending maitself to pull this off.” chines] is identifying a problem and New card readers on every vending meeting the needs of the students,” Wimachine allow for the integration of ese said. “This just provided an easier opnew forms of payment, according to tion and it’s keeping up with technology. Johnson. Each payment reader needs to … There’s no cost to the university.” simultaneously transmit information to Wiese said that over the past few years, a GOCard server and a Coca-Cola server vending machines have experienced that processes flat sales around credit card transcampus, necessitatactions and other ing the removal of forms of payment. a few and adding UIS collaborated to the decision to with Coca-Cola install new payand Canteen in ment capabilities. order to integrate However, despite a these two systems. lower number of “Previously, the vending machines, readers on the Wiese noted that vending machines new food options directly integrated like The Hilltoss Joelle Wiese with the GOCard Associate Vice President, Auxiliary Services and Bulldog Tavern server. … [Now] have opened to rethere’s a new reader that Coca-Cola [and place them. Canteen] installed in those machines,” “With the removal of some [vendJohnson said. “It’s a fairly large effort.” ing] machines, you also have a prolifThe cost of the new readers will eration of food services,” Wiese said. fall on Coca-Cola and Canteen rath- “If you’re walking around and want er than Georgetown. Associate Vice something to eat or drink, there are President for Auxiliary Services Joelle more options to do that.” Wiese said she is unaware of the exact So far, there has not been much feedcost of the upgrades. back for the new credit card readers, Part of the reason Georgetown be- according to Summerlin. However, he gan discussions with the companies said that from everything he has heard, to upgrade the vending machine pay- as well as his own experience with the ment capabilities was a desire to stay machines, the reception can only be VENDING, from A10
“This just provided an easier option and it’s keeping up with technology. … There’s no cost to the university.”
Naaz Modan/THE HOYA
All 95 Coca-Cola vending machines on the main campus and law center have been upgraded to be compatible with payments by credit card, Apple Pay or Google Wallet in addition to payments by cash and GOCard. positive. “The only thing that we’ve heard so far [is that it’s been easier],” Sumerlin said. “I think it’s pretty cool. I haven’t tried using my phone yet, but I’ve used a credit card and debit card and
it’s just a lot easier.“ According to Aditya Pande (SFS ’18), the new readers on the vending machines appear to take more time to process, but the increased convenience is worth the delays.
“I think the new readers on the soda machines are rather helpful,” Pande said. “It does take a little more time to process my transaction, but it’s marginal relative to the rest of my time, so it’s fine.”
App Connects Job Students Compete With Pitches Seekers, Employers PITCH, from A10
APP, from A10
called Offshorent. “They weren’t always very and a brief blurb about them is good about keeping deadlines defining if they’re a good candi- and they don’t always undate for your job.” derstand what we want from The launch in October follows them,” Carbin said. “So it took a six-month hiatus the founders us quite a while to develop the took to rework the app. app and then it took us quite a “We realwhile to deized that we velop the site needed a way that we just to allow emrelaunched ployers to post with.” jobs online,” Now that Mullaney said. nspHire has “It’s still very relaunched, it challenging. includes a fulYou can get ly functional as many job website for job seekers as you seekers and want, but if employers. As you can’t get a result of popjobs, you turn ular request, the job seekit now also alDAN MULLANEY (GSB ’98) ers away.” lows employCo-founder, nspHire According ers to ask for a to Carbin, resume before none of the founding members deciding whether they want to are technical or have the ability start a chat session with the job to code the app. Instead, they seeker. The app is available for outsourced the developing of free on both the Apple App Store the program to a team in India and the Google Play Store.
their local area and then receive a photo a few minutes later of the person who received a meal, according to Mack. When users donate meals, they also receive points that can be re-
deemed with participating restaurants for predetermined food or drink items. Prior to Tuesday evening’s final pitch, contestants had to post 30-second videos of their pitches on the event’s Facebook page and submit a Google form detailing the idea.
“You can get as many job seekers as you want, but if you can’t get jobs, you turn the job seekers away.”
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Courtesy Jeff Reid
Scott Goldstein (SFS ’16) holds up his second-place check following the StartupHoyas’ Rocket Pitch Competition on Tuesday evening.
From there, 29 finalists were selected and invited to attend the Founders Round Table on Nov. 13 in preparation for the Rocket Pitch Competition. Finally, at the competition, contestants were allowed two minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and the greater audience. A panel of 14 judges ranked the winning pitches. The panel included MeetMe co-founder Catherine Cook (MSB ’11) and Waveborn CEO Mike Malloy. StartupHoyas, founded in 2009 by director Jeff Reid, is an organization within the McDonough School of Business that offers young entrepreneurs on campus valuable coaching and opportunities to develop and formulate ideas. For Rocket Pitch, student competitors are allowed to enter individually or as part of a team to pitch a potential business venture. There is no cost for students to enter the competition. “Learning to evaluate the feasibility of a startup idea, to pitch and persuade others to join you, to deal with setbacks and failures and risk and ambiguity — these are all valuable ‘life skills’ that are learned through the courses and experiences offered by StartupHoyas,” Reid said. StartupHoyas also hosts events like the Rocket Pitch Competition to give students valuable experience and exposure. This year’s Rocket Pitch Competition consisted of multiple rounds. Goldstein said that unlike many entrepreneurship competitions, the Rocket Pitch competition was collaborative rather than cutthroat. “People were wishing each other luck beforehand and congratulating each other after,” Goldstein said. “The environment was very constructive and supportive.”
Driverless Car Would Benefit Society HOCHBERG, from A10
number of companies including Ford, Volvo and Baidu — a Chinese search engine — have products in various stages of development. Ford, in particular, has begun testing its new self-driving vehicle on a challenging course complete with numerous types of road conditions, terrains and intersections. By spending millions of dollars researching and developing self-driving cars, companies are indicating their confidence that these vehicles represent the future of the auto industry. In fact, Ford has predicted that cars will be 100 percent autonomous within 15 years. Volvo is so confident about the safety of its new cars that it has agreed to accept full liability for any damage they cause. Unfortunately, some accidents are simply unavoidable, meaning that Volvo will have to either incorporate liability costs into the price of the cars or provide insurance to its own clients. The latter option could be the first step in a complete overhaul of the auto insurance system if individual auto companies ask their buyers to subscribe to a company-provided insurance policy. Auto company insurance plans would be a drastic change and could create a strong, negative reaction from the insurance industry. In fact, the insurance business will likely lose out regardless as cars get safer and damage costs decrease as a whole. This increase in safety could also completely change the way the po-
lice force operates. In a world where texting and driving, DUIs and speeding no longer exist, the need for police roaming the highways would decrease drastically. Of course, more safety and fewer taxes would undoubtedly benefit society as a whole, but the huge decrease in police jobs could potentially cause problems, including, at the least, short-term unemployment as some policemen find new careers.
Though legislators stall on efforts to promote self-driving cars, immediate implementation of autonomous cars would benefit the economy and decrease health care costs. Not only would law enforcement costs decrease for taxpayers, but overall health care costs would decrease for the entire country as driving — which most people do every day — gets substantially safer. To put things in perspective, nonfatal car crashes resulted in more than $50 billion in lifetime medical and work loss costs in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similarly, this change
would probably have some shortterm effects on general employment and number of health care positions available as fewer people need immediate medical attention. However, the job market changes frequently as a result of technical advance, so these adjustments would probably run their course and cease to be problematic within a decade or so. Finally, self-driving cars could, at least for a while, mitigate the problems caused by America’s oil dependency. Virtually all of these cars would be electric, which is substantially better for the environment than cars typically on the road today. Unfortunately, though, legislation provides somewhat of a roadblock to the immediate implementation of autonomous vehicles. Most states do not allow them right now, and those that do currently require someone sitting up front, ready to regain control in the event of an emergency, and only permit these vehicles on certain roads. Even if the American population decided right now to completely legalize self-driving cars, changing nationwide laws would be arduous and time consuming. That said, the transition to more efficient technology may be difficult, but it seems inevitable. Legislators and the American population should embrace this incredible new technology, as well as the challenges and uncertainties that come with it.
Gracie Hochberg is a sophomore in the College. By The Numbers appears every Friday.
Business & Tech FRIDAY, november 20, 2015
business Students Compete at Pitch Competition bits Léa Nicolas
Special to the Hoya
Women in Business Conference Returns to GU Georgetown University held its annual conference for women in business Nov. 6 in the Rafik B. Hariri Building’s Fisher Colloquium. The conference was hosted by Georgetown’s Graduate Women in Business and the Georgetown University Women in Leadership Institute. The conference featured Staples North American Commercial President Shira Goodman and BBC Worldwide North America President Ann Sarnoff. Topics at the daylong event ranged from the wage gap to a push for more respect in the workplace.
Real Estate Mogul Talks Property Trends at NYC Event Real estate investor and Thor Equities CEO Joseph Sitt shared his views on the state of the real estate industry in a talk sponsored by Georgetown’s Steers Center for Global Real Estate and the McDonough School of Business’ Wall Street Alliance in New York on Nov. 12. Sitt said that most real estate executives today are focused on properties in downtown areas, emerging neighborhoods and inner cities. Sitt also shared his views on the profitability of commercial real estate despite conventional wisdom that commercial space needs will decrease with the move to paperless work flows.
Cardinal Shares Views on Environment at Law Center Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras spoke at the Georgetown University Law Center last week, expressing concern over whether countries will come to an agreement on global warming at a meeting in Paris at the end of this month. The event is part of a series of talks by the cardinal to bring attention to the pope’s environmental initiative just before the 21st Conference of the Parties, an international climate conference, begins.
GU Study Shines Light on State of Insurance in America A recent study published by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families found that the Affordable Care Act is bringing down the number of uninsured children in the United States. The rate of uninsured individuals is now at 6 percent, a historic low, and about half of all uninsured children live in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Arizona or Pennsylvania. Also, states that elongated Medicaid coverage to uninsured adults experienced about double the rate of decline in uninsured children than did states that did not take that option.
Twenty-nine students pitched business ideas ranging from portable charger kiosks to loans for immigrants taking citizenship tests at the StartupHoyas’ annual Rocket Pitch Competition on Tuesday evening in the Rafik B. Hariri Building. Eric Wu (SFS ’17) took home the $1,000 first prize for his business pitch of the mobile application AudioFork, which provides audio-guided recipes and recognizes voice commands to provide users with handsfree cooking guidance. Wu also received a design workshop from the competition’s sponsor, EchoUser. “I always had trouble in the kitchen with messy hands and cookbooks or iPads,” Wu said. Scott Goldstein’s (SFS ’16) pitch for Smart Toilet, a toilet that conserves water, won him second place and $500 at the competition. “The goal is to save water by customizing the amount of water that flushes depending on the weight of a deposit,” Goldstein said. Dara Ladjevardian (COL ’19) and Kamar Mack (COL ’19) received the People’s Choice Award with a $250 prize for their startup OneTouch. Referred to by its creators as “the Uber for charity,” OneTouch is an application that allows users to easily feed people in need by connecting their credit cards to the app. “Basically, you’re walking down the street and you see a homeless person and you want to help him or her out, but you don’t have cash on you,” Ladjevardian said. “Or, even if you had the money, you want to make sure he or she spends it on the right things, not drugs or alcohol. So instead, you drop a pinpoint and a driver comes and delivers a meal.” The app would also allow users to randomly donate to someone in See PITCH, A9
Courtesy jeff reid
First-place StartupHoyas Rocket Pitch winner Eric Wu (SFS ’17) displays his $1,000 prize following the competition Tuesday evening. Wu pitched a mobile cooking application that provides hands-free guidance.
App Aims to Be Tinder for Job Market Jessie Yu
Special to The Hoya
Swipe, swipe, swipe, match. You’re hired. Well, it may require more than a few swipes to get hired, but nspHire starts the conversation by matching employers and job seekers through a quick swiping process similar to that of popular dating app Tinder. Founded by Georgetown alumni Rasheen Carbin (SFS ’98) and Dan Mullaney (GSB ’98), the app officially launched in late October. Both job seekers and employers post summaries of 140 words. For job seekers, the app is free and allows them to swipe quickly to find jobs that suit their abilities. Currently, there are more than three million jobs and 10,000 job seekers on the app. “I just wanted the control and the adventure of starting a company,” Carbin said. “I liked the idea of having a vision and seeing if I could
make it come true. And I had an ap- match employers and freelance petite for risk, so I wasn’t worried workers. A month and a half into the about leaving a nine-to-five job.” Just as in Tinder, job seekers can project, Mullaney decided he needed some hide any inhelp and enformation listed Rasheen they wish, in the MBA Projincluding salect Search partary requiretime. In the ment and startup’s early photos. Emdays, Mullaney ployers can worked with post jobs and MSB Assistant look for apDean for Complicants for munications Tefree, but they resa Mannix to pay nspHire gain publicity based on the for the group. number of Rasheen Carbin (SFS ’98) Mullaney was chats they Co-Founder, nspHire then featured in start. the Washington The app started as a program called MBA Examiner as well as the MSB’s PoProject Search. Shortly after Mul- ets and Quants website. The team began moving away laney earned his MBA from the McDonough School of Business, from the MBA Project Search in he created MBA Project Search to February 2014. In April 2014, they
“I liked the idea of having a vision and seeing if I could make it come true. I had an appetite for risk, so I wasn’t worried.”
Vending Machines Receive Tech Updates
began nspHire’s app development and launched in late October 2014. Over that period of time, Darryl Glover joined as a co-founder while Paige Strawn (MSB ’16) interned for nspHire. Once a job seeker swipes right on a job, the app notifies the employer, who can then request a resume or begin a chat if interested. If not, the employer can place the job seeker in the declined folder. The app’s geographical boundaries are also far more wide-reaching than those of Tinder, as both employers and employees can look in any areas they specify. “In some sense, it’s more fair,” Nick Shedd (SFS ’18) said of the app’s premise. “You’re not discriminating based on your interaction with someone. You’re just looking at their actual achievements, but also it’s a really weird modified view of people where someone’s picture See APP, A9
BY THE NUMBERS
Matthew Larson Hoya Staff Writer
You can now buy your soda with a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay at vending machines on Georgetown University’s main campus and the Georgetown University Law Center. Previously, vending machines only accepted cash or GOCards as forms of payment. The change, which began in October, is the result of a collaboration between University Information Services, Auxiliary Business Services and the companies that own the vending machines — the CocaCola Company and Canteen. So far, all 95 Coca-Cola vending machines on the main campus and the law center have been upgraded. Of 49 Canteen machines on the main campus and the law center, 33 have received new payment capabilities. The upgrades will be finished by the end of November. Auxiliary Services Director of Business Operations Loren Sumerlin said the primary reason the university added new payment capabilities was to make it easier for those who may not carry cash or their GOCards. “The majority of our entire community, whether it be students, faculty or staff, don’t carry as much cash on them anymore,” Sumerlin said. “The idea is to try to make [vending machines] more accessible
Gracie Hochberg
Backseat Drivers Welcome
ent computer systems, it’s fairly complicated,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of potential for errors. We actually
One of Google’s first self-driving cars almost got a ticket for the first time last week when it traveled 24 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. Police approached the pulledover car but did not know how to react upon realizing there was no driver to ticket. As per California law, someone was present in the car, but instead of issuing a citation, the officer merely asked several questions about how the vehicle worked. The role of law enforcement, however, is not the only practical question that will arise as self-driving cars become more prevalent. Currently, a
See VENDING, A9
See HOCHBERG, A9
Naaz Modan/THE HOYA
Georgetown University partnered with the Coca-Cola Company and Canteen to upgrade the technology on the university’s vending machines. The machines now accept credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Wallet. to the community as a whole.” UIS Chief Engineer and Senior Director of Enterprise Services Marty Johnson said the process of updating the machines was complex. In
fact, the vending machine changes spurred an upgrade to Georgetown’s GOCard system earlier than anticipated. “Any time you integrate two differ-